Not Your Only Friend
by silver-nightstorm
Summary: When four-year-old Ino Yamanaka visits Suna with her parents, she runs into the Kazekage's youngest son. Gaara loves flowers, but no one ever told him how to take care of them. Will Ino help him out?


_When four-year-old Ino Yamanaka visits Suna with her parents, she runs into the Kazekage's youngest son. Gaara loves flowers, but no one ever told him how to take care of them. Will Ino help him out?_

**Not Your Only Friend**

**By silver-nightstorm**

**Words: 621**

**XX**

"Mommy? Why is it so hot?" Four year old Ino Yamanaka clung to the bottom of her mother's kimono. Ikana Yamanaka smiled fondly at the little girl staring up at her with innocent blue eyes.

"It's the desert, Ino. The sun is really bright here."

"But why? Why is the sun so bright?" asked the curious little girl.

Ikana knelt down to look her daughter in the eyes. "The sun really likes this city because _Suna_ means Sun. So the sun gives this city a gift by keeping it warm all the time!"

"Ohhhhhhh!" said Ino, getting it at last. "The sun is happy!"

"Yup!"

"Ikana!" striding up to the pair was Inoichi Yamanaka, Ino's father. "Ikana," he said again, "we need to get to the flower shop. They _said_ they needed our help!"

Ikana looked down at Ino, who was inspecting the flowers in a nearby flowerbed. "What about Ino?"

Inoichi turned to his daughter, "Ino, honey. Your mother and I have some business to take care of. Will you wait here and take care of the flowers?"

"Sure daddy!" smiled Ino, grinning up at her dad, "I love flowers!"

"That's my daughter!" said Inoichi, ruffling Ino's hair.

XX

All of Gaara's life, he was hated... despised... _feared_. It was so illogical to be afraid of a little boy, but everyone still hated Gaara. And it made him lonely.

But Gaara always loved flowers. They were so beautiful and free. So unconcerned... so... loved. Gaara wanted to be a flower, but... he couldn't.

But still, Gaara was always attracted to flowers. He wanted to take care of them, and have a flower garden. But no one would tell him how to take care of flowers, and he didn't want to risk killing them by doing something wrong. So he just adopted a small bed of flowers in Suna. It was his flowerbed, only his.

Today, he was making his way towards the flowerbed, with people shrieking and jumping out of his way when he came close. Same old, same old. But he wished it would change. He wished that desperately.

But one person didn't jump out of the way. A girl. A child actually, younger than himself but not by much. She had silky blonde hair and innocent, clear blue eyes. She was smiling at him inquiringly.

"Why is everyone running away?" she asked.

"You... you're not... scared?" asked Gaara, confused. "Why... aren't you running?"

"Should I run?" asked the girl, obviously confused. "Am I supposed to be scared of you?"

Gaara looked at her seriously, "You're not from around here... are you?"

"No!" said the girl, "My name's Ino Yamanaka. I live in the Konoha. My parents are here to help with the flower shop, so I'm taking care of these flowers!" She gestured the flowers behind her.

"I'm Subaku no Gaara, and that's _my_ flowerbed!"

"Oops!" blushed Ino, "I didn't know that! Sorry!"

Gaara smiled, a strange thing for him to do. "You didn't know! It's all right!"

Ino moved to the side and let Gaara approach the flowerbed with a plastic watering can. He started to pour the water, only to see himself stopped by a small hand.

"You're putting too much water," said Ino seriously, "You could kill the plant that way!"

"Oh no!" said Gaara, dropping the watering can. "I don't want to do that! The flowers are my only friends!"

Ino grinned at him, making her eyes squint shut. "No, silly! They're not your only friends! I'm your friend too!"

She kissed him on the cheek, and skipped away, giggling, leaving Gaara standing, frozen, with his hand on his cheek and the water that was meant for the flowers spilling all over his feet.

**XX**

Just something I thought of... thought it would be cute! Well... R&R! Please! Reviews make me happy!


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